school plan

Believe it or not, our little guy will be in kindergarten this coming school year! For the past few years I've been thinking A LOT about all of our schooling options and we've finally decided on a plan. Camden will be enrolling in Hoosier Academies Indianapolis which is a hybrid of a virtual school (home school) and in class setting. I've talked to many of you looking for opinions, and here are some answers to questions I've received.

"How will the school work?"
Camden will be schooled at home Mondays through Wednesdays. I will be his "learning coach", teaching him each day (although Chris or anyone else could take my place as needed, I'm sure). We will follow the school's schedule each day and record attendance, just like a regular school day.  All of the learning materials will be sent to our home, some online and some on paper (20%/80%). On Thursdays and Fridays he will go to the learning center in Indianapolis where he'll be taught in a classroom by his teacher. Hoosier Academies uses the K12 program.

"Why did you chose this option?"
All parents are called to be the primary educators of their children. Maybe I'm taking this too literally, but I like that us parents will be involved as well as professional educators. I want us to have time together as a family in a (somewhat) flexible and adaptive environment. We will hopefully have more time for any extracurriculars and out-of-classroom learning without interfering with our family time in the evening too much (which is really important to us). I also plan to continue working part time and this option would allow me to work while he's in school. Also, it is free. Not every state or area offers this option for free, so I'm glad we can take advantage (I looked and just ONE K12 course with teacher support was $950 for the year!).

"Do you think you can do a good job teaching? What will Savannah do while you're teaching?"
I'm not sure. I'm going to try my best and if I'm not good (I could see patience being an issue for me) we can try something else next year. I won't know until I try! Savannah will go to a 2 hour preschool Monday and Wednesday so we can really focus during those times. The rest of the time we'll make do. I'll have better answers once we get started.

"Why not try the highly-rated public schools in Carmel first and switch if you don't like it?"
That makes sense. The schools are highly regarded and there is one walking distance from our house. It'd be free and convenient and, likely, a good education. While it all sounds good, I know that the days are so long for a five year old and it doesn't really fit with the vision I have. We also plan to move eventually and so our school would change then, also.

"If you value a religious education, why not go to a Catholic school?"
This option is good, too. Unfortunately our church only goes through Kindergarten. We did tour another school, St. Louis De Montfort in Fishers (not too far) and really liked it. Of course, there is a significant cost to this option. It also is the same school model as the public school. This option is probably our second choice.

"Why not just home school on your own?"
While this would provide the ultimate flexibility, I'm just not sure I'd know what to do. It would involve a lot of personal prep on my part and I'm sure I'd be worried if I'm doing all that I should be. If I buy programs to follow, there is often a cost to those, also. I guess I'm just not ready to jump all in on my own yet (if I ever will be). I like knowing I can just follow what other college-prepped educators have already prepared. They probably know what to do :)

"What about some of the co-op home school programs or other alternative schools?"
I've researched several school options (a co-operative elementary, Northpoint, Highlands Latin Academy, and some other co-ops). Many of those options require significant parent involvement at the school (sometimes even teaching a class) beyond what I think I could commit to with my work schedule and another kid at home. Some of them are also expensive. Most of them assume you're homeschooling your kids on there "off" days from schools with you're own curriculum.

"What about socialization?"
He'll be in school twice a week and can attend field trips, too. He'll also be going to religious education and possibly extracurriculars. I don't plan for us to be hermits, so I'm not really worried about this. We'll see how it plays out and make adjustments if needed.

"What if you don't like it?"
I'm going in with an open mind which means I'm also open to the idea that it isn't the best fit. I'd like to give it one year before I make any decision to continue or not. I think every year we'll have to evaluate if it is the right option for us. If not, we'll try something else the next year that better fits our family situation as it stands.

"I would never want to home school (for x or y reason)."
That's fine. I certainly don't think this is something that would work for every family and I also have no disdain for traditional schools. I'd be lying if the idea of sending Camden to school 5 days a week on a bus isn't appealing (more time to take up hobbies/projects, to work, or to drink a cup of coffee before it's cold!). Maybe I'll get burnt out doing homeschooling, who knows. But for now, I at least want to try this and I'm excited to see what it is like.

Wish us luck in August when we take on this big change!